Cal hires Wes Chandler as receivers coach

It didn’t take long for Cal coach Jeff Tedford to hire someone to replace Eric Kiesau as his receivers coach. One day, in fact.

Tedford on Wednesday night hired Wes Chandler, the former University of Florida and NFL wide receiver. Chandler ended his NFL career with the 49ers, the first year I started covering the team.

“He’s a great football coach who is an outstanding technician,” Tedford said in a statement. “He cares about the kids off the field and will help them reach their full potential in all areas of their life. It’s a great day for our program and we’re really happy to have him as a part of our staff.”

Chandler said, “I’m excited about this opportunity at Cal. Coach Tedford and I share a lot of the same sentiments regarding what the game of football is all about. It was a perfect marriage for me.”

Tedford now has one coach to replace on his staff, and it’s a big one. He needs a defensive line coach to replace star recruiter Tosh Lupoi, hired away for perhaps triple his Cal salary by the University of Washington.

Chandler brings NFL credentials to the job, which should count for something with kids hoping to reach the highest level of football. In 11 NFL seasons Chandler had 559 receptions for 8,966 yards and 56 touchdowns.

After his playing career, Chandler worked as an assistant coach in the NFL with Cleveland, Dallas and Minnesota.